The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-01-15
THE SEBUCER ANB MURDERER
OF HIS COUSIN,
Miss Lillian Madison, Through Whose
Veins COursed The GentIest Blood
OF Old Virginia,
EXPIATES HIS BRUTAL AND UN.
NATURAL CRIME
Upon the G2llOws-He Dies Without
Uttering q Word b. Way
Of Confessions

Rose, keeper of the old city reservoir
in the western part OF the city, il
making his usual rounds CT inspection
discovered the body Of woman in thu
reservoir. He at once notified the
Coroner, who had the body taken from
the water. 1t proved to be that of {
good looking woman OF about % years
The Coroner, af.er viewing the re-
mains, pronounced it a case of suicide
and had the body removed to the
almshouse for Identification. Mr.. Pc.
ter j. Burton. repor er of the Rich
mond Dispatch, subsequently went to
the reservoir ard then to the morgue
and his investigations resulted in the
formulation of a murder theory, upon a
chain of circumstsntial evidence which
convinced many minds. A further OK.
animation of the body disclosed tie
TACT that the young woman was far
advanced in pregnancy. DeriDg two
days many people saw the body, and
it was finally rec g1ized by two young
ladies 1.-THE Misses Dunstan) as friend
OF theirs, Mis- Fannie Lillian Mad
son, Of King and Queen ccun'y, but
had for some time past been teaching
bChOOl III Ddlh COuubys 1hO .
inquest resulted in verdict Il prob
able murder. Detectives and police
were set to work, and in Short time
brought to lighs circum 7tances tn 1t
added strength to the murder thsofy.
A woman who had registered at the
American Hotel, on March 18Th,
under the name OF Miss F. L. Merton,
was missing from the hotel, and her
disappear Ince and the finding of the
body about the same time furnished
the fatal clew, but for which the mur-
derer would have never been known.
While the 80 called "Miss Merton"
was at the hotel she wrote and re-
ceived several notes, but one directed
by Der was never delivered, and
after her departure from the
hotel it was torn to piec
by the clerk and cast into the wFsts
basket. The scraps Of this note and
the enVelops were subsequently
brought to light, and when pasted to.
gether it ssrved as one of the principal
links in the chain which convicted
the murderer, it bsiug addr ssIed to T.
]. O,uverius.
Further inquiry developed the fact
that the man was young lawyer of
King and Queen county, and cousin
of the deceased. The discovery of
this note led to the arrest Of Cluverius,
who was known to have been ia
Richmond on March 18th. He YVES
found at the residence of his aunt,
Mira. Tunstall, in King and Queen
county, and brought to this city. He
! waived a preliminary examination
and was sent to the grand jury Of the
Hastings Court. He was indicted in
April for murder, and his trial began
at the May term of the court and con-
tinued for twenty-eight days. Owing
to the difficulty of obtaining compe-
tent jurors in r ehmond, it was found
necessary to draw tilesRen from Alex
andria, and jury was finally i'm
paneled, with seven citizens of Rich
mond and Eve OF Alexandria CON.
posing it. The prisoner pleaded not
guilty, and the trial proceeded.
Nearly 200 witnesses we're examined,
and step by step the evidences fixed
upon the prisoner the brand
of seducer and murderer, and
when the counsel on blth |
sides had concluded their efforts
for and against the accute ed, the jury
after but few minutes consideration,
rendered verd ct Of murder in the |
first degree. The prisoner throughout
the trial was cool ard undaunted, and |
his self possesson YVES fruitful theme |
of comment. His council excepted ct |
every possible point in the evidences |
and asked for a new trial, which was |
refused, and Ciuverius was sentenced |
to be hanged on November 20, 1885 |
An appeal wss then taken to the Su |
preme Court OF the United Statss,
which, however, availed the prisoner
nothing except that it stayed the ex-
ecution for nearly year, as the court,
with but one dissenting voice, affirmed |
the judgment OF the lower court. He
was then sentenced to be hanged De.
cember 10, 1885. The last resOrt-the
Chief Executive-was finally applied
to for pardon or Communication Of SEN
tence to life Imprisonment; but the
Governor, after giving the case the
most considerate attention, could Fl i'd
no reason for interfering with the
mandate OF the court. He, however,
respited the condemned man until to-
day.
During the forenoon Capt. Frank
w. Cunningham, Richmond's sweet
est tenor singer, who has before Wis
tied the prisoner on several occasions
and sung numerous hymns in his cell,
again called to see Cluverius, and was
greeted pleasantly by him. At his re-
quest Capt. Cunningham sung the
hymn "How Firm q Foundation, Ye
Saints OF the Lord" When he had
finished Capt. Cunningham turned to
Cluverius and asked: "Do you still
say that you are innocent2" to which
the prisoner replied ~ am innocent.
"And," said Capt. Cunningham, "do
you believe in our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ, and believing in him you
assert that you are innocent, knowing
that you have got to anwer before
GodP" Again Cluverius said, 81 can
say that am innocent"
When Ssrpt. Smith entered the con-
demned mans cell at 1856 o'clock
and announced that the time was up,
Oluverius showed no signs OF emotion,
but simply remarked, Il am ready to
go with you" 1t was an awful and
solemn moment when Cluverius
walked from the cell in which he had
so long been confined to the scaffold
upon which he wss to pay the PEN
atty OF his crime, and the iron nerve
which sustained him through the
trial chung to him to the very last,
and unfalteringly he walked to his
death. As he was passing down the
steps on the way to the scaff1ld the
vast crowd Outside the jail caught
sight IF him, and q shout went up
from thousands Of throats, "Yonder
he is, yonder he isl' The prisoner
never raised his eyes, but kept them
cast down, as though in deep thought,
and for the first time, perhaps, he
fully realized that he was going to die.
As he wendell his way 20 the scat.
fold down the long all yard the eyes
Of over 200 persons were directed to
him, He never looked to the right or